That’s what the Pentagon said in 2008 during the Bush administration. That’s what the Obama administration’s task force confirmed when they cleared Ameziane for transfer.

And according to the list of the remaining 166 detainees released through a freedom of information lawsuit Monday, that assessment hasn’t changed.

But Ameziane, a former Montreal resident and chef, remains trapped because he fears persecution if sent to Algeria, from where he fled two decades ago. No other country has offered refuge, including Canada where he once lived and has relatives and community support.

The 46-year-old is now on a hunger strike in an effort to raise awareness about his detention and his lawyers are traveling throughout North America, airing a 30-minute video about his case, with stops in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto this week.

Ameziane is one of the 104 prisoners on Guantanamo’s hunger-strike according to the Pentagon’s figures released Tuesday, but not one of the 44 who are being force-fed liquid nutrients. His American lawyer, Wells Dixon, said he’s “on the cusp” of being force-fed as he has lost about 60 pounds since February and his health is deteriorating.

In letters to Dixon, and others at the New York-based Centre for Constitutional Rights, Ameziane describes dismal living conditions in Guantanamo, saying he is confined to his cell for 22 hours a day without military-issue “comfort items” such as a toothbrush or books.

“We are back to the dark years of the Bush administration,” he wrote in a recent letter. “I am almost getting crazy.”

But the hunger strike has managed to put Guantanamo back on the political and media agenda and pressure to close the facility and transfer detainees like Ameziane mounts.

On June 7, Obama’s chief of staff made a surprise visit to Guantanamo along with Senators Dianne Feinstein and John McCain — the first high-level delegation to visit since Attorney General Eric Holder toured in February 2009 — and issued a joint-statement urging the prison’s closure and safe transfer of detainees.

Ameziane was segregated in his cell in an area of the prison known as Camp 6 during the visit and reportedly tried to speak to McCain, whom he recognized.

“I yelled under the door of my cell, saying we are being treated like animals here,” Ameziane wrote in a June 8 letter to Dixon.

“When I recognized the senator, I call him, he acknowledged me with his hand and walked to my door to speak with me, but a guard kept him away, and a few seconds later the visitors were ushered out of the block.”

“I am expecting retaliation from the camp administration because of what I said,” Ameziane writes, signing off, “Thank you for all, and please convey my regards to everyone in the office.”

According to Dixon, Ameziane, who speaks French and German, has taught himself flawless English and Arabic during his 11 years in custody.

Ameziane is from the Berber ethnic minority in Algeria and fled in 1992, working as a chef at an Italian restaurant in Vienna before coming to Canada in 1995 and seeking asylum. His application was denied in 2000 and with few other alternatives he said he fled to Afghanistan — from where he was forced to flee again after the post-9/11 U.S. invasion.

He was one of hundreds captured by Pakistani forces and sold to the U.S. for a bounty. The Pentagon initially claimed he was staying in an Al Qaeda guesthouse before fleeing Afghanistan — allegations he and his lawyers have denied.

Ameziane has sought to return to Quebec, where his brother Yusuf, who is a Canadian citizen, lives and works a real estate agent.

The Anglican Diocese of Montreal has sponsored his refugee application, which is still outstanding. Ameziane’s Toronto lawyer, Andrew Brouwer, says Ameziane is an “ideal candidate” because of his predicament and strong ties to Canada.

“He truly has no alternatives. He’s stuck in an impossible situation in Guantanamo. He’s in danger if he goes back to Algeria and (U.S.) Congress has blocked him from going on to U.S. soil,” Brouwer said Tuesday.

“There is no evidence to support any belief that Djamel presents a threat to Canada or anyone else. That’s been recognized by the U.S. in reviewing his case.”